It may seem counterintuitive, but Kurt Line enjoys going into harvest knowing what his crop will likely yield. Next year's hybrid and variety selection starts before grain goes in the tank for this manager of Churchill Farms, Lake Village, Ind.

"As I take samples, I also look for clues as to what might be limiting yield and how we might fix that for next year," Line says. "Soybeans are a little harder to judge than corn, but you can certainly take a look at how many pods are there and get a sense of what the yield might be."